Hey there guys, Striker777 here with the next chapter of Loki's Renard. I know, right? How the hell is this guy putting out so many chapters so quickly?
It's because I have no life outside this at the moment since I'm off work and uni for the next while.
Anyway, be sure to review and all that, but for now, onto the story.
Riveria walked up the final staircase, leading back to the surface from Floor 1. It had taken the Loki Familia slightly longer than they expected to gather all the needed materials, as some of the drops had been incredibly rare. But at least both the Dian Cecht Familia and the Hephaestus Familia were in their debt once more. That would certainly make procuring new weapons and potions much easier for the next time the Familia wanted to go into the dungeon on an expedition. Riveria, on the other hand, had something entirely different on her mind.
"Oi, Riveria, frown any more any you'll finally begin looking your age!" exclaimed Gareth with a hearty laugh. The glare sent his way from the high elf did nothing to deter him. "Oh come on, you've been frowning the entire time we've been in the Dungeon. We all know you're missing Akihide, but lose the frown or get the wrinkles that come with it."
Riveria sighed. "I'm... It's not like that, Gareth." she tried to explain. "I'm just concerned he's made a fool out of the Familia without me there to keep him in check. Loki might've rubbed off on him too much too, and the last thing we need is another Loki wandering around."
"You just miss the young lad, like any good Mama would." shot back Gareth with a grin.
"Who are you calling Mama?" demanded Riveria.
Finn sighed, knowing Gareth was probably correct in his assessment. However, he also knew the dangers of crossing Riveria. "Gareth, let's just get back to the surface first. We can discuss this later." muttered the pallum leader.
Gareth let it go, muttering something about cowardice and being scared of Riveria. He was right, of course, but Finn wasn't going to tell him that. Riveria huffed in annoyance, but let the subject go. Finn smiled to himself, the peace had been kept for just a little while longer. That was an absolute win, at least for the moment.
The group ventured out of the Dungeon, finally reaching Babel. Making their way out of the building, they run right into Loki, smirking as she made her way to her children. "Welcome back everyone, did you have fun?" she asked, excitement in her voice as she looked at a few of their female adventurers, beginning to do that distrubing thing with her hands that made even Riveria feel on edge around her.
"The expedition was a success." offered Finn, greeting his old friend and goddess. "Dian Cecht and Hephaestus Familias have all their materials, and we're reaping the benefits the next time we go into the Dungeon."
"Wonderful!" cried Loki. "This is the second happiest I've been today! Sorry, but you lost to Aki-chan!"
That got some attention. "Akihide? What happened?" asked Riveria, ignoring the smug look from Gareth. "What did you do to him Loki?"
Loki only smirked. "Come and I'll show you." she said, turning around and walking away. Finn decided to humor her, dismissing the others and following her, along with Gareth and Riveria. "He's going to be sparing against the newest member of the Astraea Familia today, Ryuu Lion. They've been practicing together for the past week, so they've been very competative with one another." explained Loki to the Familia members who had been absent for the better part of a month in the Dungeon. "It'll be a good way for you guys to see where he's at now that you're back."
"Astraea Familia?" asked Gareth, wondering why Loki went there out of all places. Their hearts were in the right place, but they were far from the strongest Familia. They had a pair of level 2s as their Familia Captain and Vice-Captain, but other than that they were simply a collection of level 1s that hadn't even made it to Floor 18 yet. "Why that Familia out of all the ones out there? Surely there were better trainers for Akihide than the Astraea Familia."
"Sure there are." agreed Loki, looking back at the dwarf. "But Astraea is the best one for Aki-chan, of that there is no doubt."
The three looked between each other, trying to see if the others knew what Loki was talking about, before remembering that they were talking to Loki and half the things she said made no sense at all when she was as excited as she was. Remembering that little tidbit, and figuring it'd probably be better to just watch Akihide and how he performed was probably better than letting Loki try to explain it to them. Not even Ouranos would know what she was talking about, if she didn't exaggerate or make up entire stories to go along with it just to make it more entertaining.
"Can you give us a basic rundown of what's been happening?" asked Finn, walking alongside his goddess despite the fact his legs were begging him to let them rest after the expedition.
"All I'll tell you is that not even I saw this coming." said Loki, as they made their way through the gates of the Stardust Garden. "This kid is something special. Unfortunately, I'm not the only one who thinks that way." she growled.
The three level 5s looked on in confusion as Loki's mood, originally happy and excited, came plummeting down like a stack of rocks. They decided to ask Loki about it later, as they made their presence known in the house of another Familia. "Astraea, we're here!" yelled out Loki, grabbing the attention of the multiple members of the Familia that were hanging around the main entrance. Riveria looked moritfied that her goddess acted this way around another Familia and not act in the proper manner, Finn simply sighed and raised a hand to his nose, massaging the incoming migrane, and Gareth just gave her a dead glare.
Another goddess, who the trio could only assume was Astraea, was making her way towards them. "Ah, your children have returned from the lower floors, Loki. Pleasure to meet you all. I assume you're here to watch Akihide?" she asked, her voice coming off as soothing.
"Yes." replied Riveria, bowing to the goddess. "Thank you for overseeing his training, goddess Astraea."
"Oh, think nothing of it." replied the kind hearted goddess of justice. "He's been an absolute pleasure. Really nice boy, always offering to heal our members after training or help around the house. He'll be excited to see you again though, he really missed you. Especially Riveria."
Loki laughed. "He's been crawling into Mama's bed for the past 2 weeks 'cause he misses her~" she sang in her annoying voice. "He hugs her pillows and falls asleep pretending to hug his Mama."
"..." Riveria glared at her goddess, who gulped at the horrifying glare. "Who are you calling Mama?"
"Begin!" yelled out a voice, catching their attention.
Astraea looked back the way she came. "Oh, looks like they've just started. We should go watch them." she said, turning around and motioning for the others to follow her. The group of four did, turning around the corner of the home to the garden just in time to see a clash between a double-edged armed sword and a pair of tantō.
The pair, Akihide, and a blonde elf that the three level 5s could only assume was Ryuu Lion, were locked in combat, Ryuu's sword pressed between the 'X' guard of Akihide's blades, before he threw them up and went in for a with his right blade. One which Ryuu easily dodged, before preparing an overhead swing to go on the offensive. Akihide noticed this, and took a step back to put some distance between them. Ryuu's weapon came down but Akihide narrowly side stepped the attack, using his left blade to guide the sword to go past him, before trying for another swing with his right. Ryuu jumped away, both children catching their breath momentarily before rushing into the thick of it once more.
"They're good..." muttered Gareth, as he watched the two continue their duel. Ryuu managed to land a good kick on Akihide, sending him back slightly, but he recovered quickly and rushed in once more, trying to gain an advantage in close quarters. "For a pair of level 1s not even adventuring for 3 months, they're really good. Not as strong as some of the other level 1s out there, but they could certainly give them a run for their money in a month or two."
Finn nodded in agreement. "He's much better than when we left. It's almost as if I'm looking at an entirely different kid. He should be able to handle himself in the Dungeon without a problem on Floors 5 and above."
Riveria didn't say anything, but continued watching the fight. As a level 5, she could easily see what each combatant was doing, even when they moved too fast for the other. She turned momentarily when she felt a tapping on her shoulder, to find Loki handing her a piece of paper. "Take a look at this. Just this morning." she said, turning back to the fight. Riveria looked at the paper and her eyes went wide.
Status:-
Level: 1
Strength: 211 (G) → 229(G)
Endurance: 244(G) → 259(G)
Dexterity: 199(H) → 210(G)
Agility: 262(G) → 276(G)
Magic: 221(G) → 229 (G)
Magic: Kaizen no Mon
Skills: N/A
Development Abilities: N/A
'All his stats are G? He hasn't been in the Dungeon yet and his stats are already that high? What kind of training did he endure here?' she asked herself as she watched the two continue their spar. The older elf continued to use her weapon's range to keep Akihide at a distance, which worked out as Akihide was unable to get close enough, constantly dodging to prevent himself getting hit with her sword. He groaned in annoyance as he was forced back again.
'None of my stats are as high as hers.' he thought, trying to find a way out of the situation. 'My magic doesn't affect me, and I can't move while using it either. Damn it, she's more skilled than me, better trained and she isn't arrogant so she doesn't leave any gaps in he stance.' he thought as he continued to try to find a way to win.
He unfortunately wouldn't.
Ryuu managed to land a slash across his chest, drawing a little blood and throwing him off balance enough for him to go flying when she sent a roundhouse kick to his face. He groaned in pain on the ground as Ryuu knelt down. "You thought hard, gave me a hard time back there." she said, reaching down and offering him a hand up. He took it, almost crying out in pain as she pulled him up. "You should get Maryuu to heal you up. That looks like it hurts."
"It does..." muttered the boy, beginning to move to the healer, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, expecting to see Astraea or Alise giving him a warm speech on how well he's improving.
He didn't expect Riveria.
She knelt down in front of him, staff in hand and looked into the eyes of the stunned Akihide. She turned her attention to his chest, before beginning to speak. "Assemble, breath of the land, my name is Alf. Veil Breath." she said, as Akihide was enveloped in a green light. His wound began to close, and the pain was taken away entirely. He looked up at the elf with a smile. "You did well-"
"Riveria!" he exclaimed, not caring for anything as he threw his arms around her neck and latched on, doing the same with his legs around her stomach. Riveria was caught off guard, her expedition in the Dungeon and the use of her magic tiring her out slightly, which lowered her guard enough for Akihide to hug her. "I missed you! I'm sorry I was bad before, please don't leave me!"
Gareth couldn't hold it, and neither could Loki. The two of them burst out in uncontrolable laughter as Riveria was captured by the young renard. Riveria threw them both a glare promising death, but with the clingy child, it made it too cute that they laughed even harder. Finn was dignified enough to hids his snickering behind a cough, but Riveria knew.
But... a small part of her was fine with it, and as the other part of her brain was focused on killing the other three, that part wrapped her arms around the boy subconsciously. "What am I going to do with you?" she muttered, before turning back to her serious persona. "Tonight we'll be learning about the first five levels of the Dungeon, and we'll be going on a dungeon crawl tomorrow starting from 10. Be ready for our lesson at 5."
Akihide looked like he had just had 5 birthdays at once. This was it, everything he wanted and was aiming for, he was going to enter the Dungeon. With the biggest grin on his face, he hugged her tighter. "Thank you!" he exclaimed. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!"
Riveria sighed. "What have I signed myself up for?"
Akihide looked up at the white tower that ascended into the sky. Babel, the 50 floor tower that stood over the entrance to the Dungeon. It was the most stand-out feature of Orario. Kitted out in his adventurer gear, he looked at his escort, Riveria. "Now Akihide, keep your composure in the Dungeon, listen to everything I say and follow my orders. You've proved yourself strong enough, but if you disobey me, we won't come back until I return from my next expedition."
And with how frequently the other Familia in Orario needed them to go down to the 50th Floor to gather materials, it could be between a month or two before they set back out on one of their routine expeditions, seeing as no other Familia was capable or willing.
Akihide nodded his head, too excited to think of doing anything to potentially piss Riveria off. He had barely slept a wink last night, too excited for his first venture into the Dungeon. He had been practicing non-stop for this since he joined the Loki Familia, Kaguya teaching him a few tricks on how to properly swing and guard with his blades without teaching him anything too complicated or advanced.
"We'll make our way down to Floor 3 today just to see where you are in terms of the Dungeon. We'll leave at 1 and go to training at the Stardust Garden until 3, then home for a study session. We'll skip the Dungeon tomorrow, and go back in the day after." said Riveria, laying out the ground rules. Akihide nodded, wanting to complain about not going into the Dungeon every day, but with Riveria's threat he bit his tongue.
Riveria sighed, but ushered the boy into the Dungeon. The two of them made their way into the tower Babel, finding the hole in the floor that led to the Dungeon. Riveria grabbed Akihide's hand to keep him close, before they began their descent to Floor 1. Akihide began getting excited as they finished their walk down the stairs to Floor 1, which soon opened up to a wide hallway littered with adventurers, but no monsters.
"Welcome to the Dungeon. This is Floor 1, and the main hallway for beginner adventurers, Beginning Road." said Riveria, as she began walking down Beginning Road. Akihide began following her, wanting to keep close to his guardian. But as he walked, he began to notice how the two of them were getting attention.
"Woah... It's Nine Hell Riveria for the Loki Familia."
"Who's that with her?"
"That's Loki's new plaything. Apparently he's meant to be from some sort of hotshot family from the Far East with some powerful magic. Guess Nine Hell is taking him here for the first time."
"I heard from a friend that Loki's got some competition. Apparently when he was in the wine shop on Babel's 18th floor, Freya said she wanted to take him from Loki."
"No way. Loki as well as Freya? I'm not buying it."
"But it's not every day you get to see a first-class adventurer like Nine Hell. Especially on the Upper Floors. Lucky kid."
Akihide didn't deal well with the talking about him, and retreated into Riveria's side, clutching her cloak and wrapping it protectively around him. Riveria sighed, but rubbed his head. "Ignore them. We'll find a passageway with less adventurers." she said, gripping his hand once more and leading him down another path. "Now, just remember your training and everything should work out ok. I'll be here to help you in case things go south, but otherwise, you're on your own."
This was a test, to see if Akihide was capable enough to go into the Dungeon and become an adventurer. He nodded, as the two continued walking, eventually finding a passageway with only a small party of adventurers, 2 in total. Riveria didn't recognise them, but their gear made her immediately realise they were members of the Ganesha Familia. "Good morning, gentlemen. Mind if we share this passage for a moment? My Familia member here needs to kill a monster on this floor before we descend to Floor 2."
"N-Nine Hell Riveria?" stuttered one of the boys, probably 16 or a little older. "S-sure! We'd be glad to let your Familia hunt here for a bit. Mainly Kobolds today, odd Goblin or two. Is this his first dive into the Dungeon?"
"Indeed. He's killed monsters on the surface before, but we all know they're weaker." said Riveria, seeing no issue in telling them this information. No one was able to strike against him since he was a member of the Loki Familia, as well as constantly under the care of one of their level 5s. "We're training him up a bit so he can handle himself, before we bring him on our next expedition."
This was a lie. Riveria had no intention on taking him on an expedition just yet, but it would do as a lie for the moment. Akihide looked up in shock and excitement, and Riveria winced as she would have to stomp his dreams down later. But for now, maybe the incentive would do him some good and motivate him to try harder.
Just as the final thought in her head finished, Riveria noticed that the Dungeon spawned the next group. She turned her attention from the conversation to the other end of the hall, where a group of three Kobolds had just spawned. "Okay Akihide, let's take these three." she ordered, pointing to the monsters. Akihide followed her finger and stared at the monsters, before drawing his tantō and preparing for combat.
As the first Kobold ran at them, Akihide immediately noted something. "Slower than Ryuu." he muttered, before running forward himself. The Kobold swung a club down at him, but Akihide used his superior speed to simply dodged to the slide, and swing his own blade in a reverse grip across the monster's neck, killing it. The other two were closing in on him as well, but Akihide did not slow down. The second Kobold tried to swing and strike him in the side.
Ryuu often opened with this move.
Akihide ducked under the swing, returning his right tantō to a proper grip, before slamming it into the monster's head, killing it as well. The third Kobold didn't let up, even after seeing it's two brothers killed by the young renard. Akihide smiled and rushed forward, slamming both his blades into the monster's chest before it could even attack. The left tantō actually struck and destroyed the magic stone, instantly killing the beast and turning it to dust.
"Woah..." awed one of the Ganesha Familia members. "This is his first trip? This kid's insane."
"We gotta work harder." said the other, turning to his friend as a new trio of Kobolds spawned.
"We'll leave you to it gentlemen. Akihide will come with me to Floor 2. Thank you for your time, and keep the magic stones as thanks." said Riveria, turning around and telling Akihide to follow her. He did, but not before he pocketed one of the magic stones.
"Momento..." he muttered, before running off after her. The two Ganesha Familia members caught him, but knew that every first magic stone was special, and let it slide. They had work to do if they wanted to catch up to the kid.
Riveria bought Akihide down the next set of stairs. "Now, the monsters on Floor 2 are stronger versions of the Floor 1 monsters. Be sure to keep your guard up down here."
"Got it." he replied, looking forward to his descent. "I'll get stronger here?"
Riveria nodded. "Yes, you will. But the Dungeon is dangerous, which is why you aren't allowed to enter it alone." she said, looking down at the boy. "It's too dangerous for a solo adventurer to come into the Dungeon. That's why there are parties and supporters to make sure everyone comes back okay. That's why we're entering the Dungeon together. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Riveria." replied Akihide, turning around and continuing on his path down the stairs.
Riveria sighed as she followed, determined not to let the idiot die before he came back from his first dive in the Dungeon.
It was the end of the day, sundown, when the whispers around 'I am Ganesha' about a certain boy with white hair and fox ears began to circulate about his first Dungeon experience. A lot of the members were curious to see how he would grow, since he was under the care of Loki and her three best members. Hypothetically, they should be able to make him a level 5 given enough time, but there were nay-sayers thinking he'd peak at level 2 or 3 before giving up entirely. Most of the members were interested in the idle gossip about the new, young adventurer.
That was especially true for a certain blue haired girl. The 12 year old was practicing her swings, all she could do since her sister never let her into the Dungeon, constantly coming up with excuses. 'I have to patrol the city.' she'd say, or 'You can if you find a party to take you.' Yeah, right. Like any party in her Familia would take her, and risk getting on her bad side. She then heard the whispers, and listen closely to the description to the boy, before a light went off in her head and she had the greatest idea of all time.
If no one in the Familia would let her into their party due to her sister, she'd form her own party outside the Familia. Oh, it was perfect. She'd be able to go into the Dungeon, with a party that wouldn't report back to her sister, and said sister couldn't even get mad at her because she was technically following the rules, since she never said the party had to be formed with others in the Familia.
Oh yes, Ardee Varma was back on top, and nobody was gonna take her down.
In another part of Orario, a certain girl was looking aimlessly outside her window. It was in a nice enough room for an orphan of her Familia. Her mother had died in childbirth with her on complications, and her father was killed in the Dungeon when she was 2. Ever since, she had been taken care of by her god. She was so grateful to him, and wanted to pay him back. But as she was now, there was no way she could do that. She had to get better.
Airmid Teasanare looked out the window. "Level 2... I need to get level 2..."
And that's it, hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next chapter is going to introduce Ardee and Airmid to Akihide and the formation of their party. There may be another member of two joining at a later date, but for now this party is going to be a trio. I'm looking forward to writing about their dynamic in the dungeon and how far they can reach whilst supporting each other.
One question for you viewers though, since I can't decide, should they take Lili on as a supporter later down the line (equivalent of around the time of Astraea Record), or should it be closer to canon and Lili supports Bell when he eventually arrives in Orario? I'll leave it up to you, because the story could honestly go either way for me.
But anyway, for now, this is Striker777, over and out.